Google Search

Thanks for Visiting the Craftside Blog

Collecting

September 23, 2013

Today, I wanted to share with you a bit of eye candy from the book Mucha. This was a poster designed for the Brooklyn Exhibition 1912. The poster features a girl with Slav features. She holds a circlet of thorns as a symbol of the past and future of the Slavs.

Generally agreed to be one of the most important contributors to Art
Nouveau, the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha was trained, celebrated and
lived most of his life in Paris. His unforgettably iconic images of
Sarah Bernhardt and others embody the spirit of the fin de siècle. But
underneath his successful career as an artist and poster designer lay a
passionate Slav nationalist whose most important and long neglected
works are still being painstakingly restored and exhibited in the Czech
republic. This book is the first comprehensive overview of his life and
work and is published in association with the Mucha Museum in Prague.

And then get creative with the "10 Things Design Challenge." Click on these pages from I Just Like to Make Thingsto enlarge and read all about this great way to get your creativity flowing. Just to make things extra fun, let's throw in a GIVEAWAY. Here are the rules:

Along with the 4 options Lilla suggests, I have a few of my own to come up with 10 random things to combine to make something.

- How about going through your "junk drawer"? Don't we all have one usually in the kitchen filled with all sorts of stuff.

- I don't know about you, but sometimes I need to clean off my creative work space quick and I "broom" it all off into a box. It doesn't get sorted and the bits don't make it back where they belong. Why not try making something with all the items in that box?

- Clean out your jewelry box. Take all the pieces you haven't worn in a while and "rebuild" them into a new piece.

Gain a wealth of information, inspiration, and know-how on moving your artistic career forward from one of the most successful illustration agents in the industry!

I Just Like to Make Thingsis a dazzling, colorful volume of career and personal advice for artists, filled with ideas, playsheets (as opposed to worksheets), case studies, and tools for staying inspired and creative. These pages are grounded in the wisdom and experience gleaned from a long and buzzing career as creative juggernaut Lilla Rogers shares her analysis of leveraging various working styles and ways to keep your art fresh. Artist interviews provide inside details about the best jobs, as well as tips on how to work smart and stay creative. You’ll also find annotated case studies of several successful art jobs, in addition to coloring book pages, hand-drawn charts, and lots of crazy fun.

Lilla Rogers was a full-time, highly successful illustrator beginning in 1984 with clients ranging from theNew York Times, Takishamaya, Barneys New York, and Levi’s. She had agents in Tokyo, Paris, and New York. In 1994 her top students asked her to represent them. Since that time, Lilla Rogers Studio has become one of the most respected illustration agencies in the US, with clients in Europe and Asia and known for setting trend. Being an illustrator and teacher allows Lilla the unique position of helping her artists grow as she fully understands the creative process and how to nurture the best in each artist. She has lectured internationally at conferences and trade shows, such as the Illustration Conference (ICON) and PrintsourceNewYork, colleges and corporations, and is interviewed for her expertise as an agent, trendsetter, and artist. She lives in Arlington, MA. Visit her online at http://www.lillarogers.com.

Join 14 very special artists on a Creative Pilgrimage as they share exciting projects that they teach through the various art retreat venues from across the nation. As they teach their special projects, we experience what it's like to learn from this celebrated cohort of talented artists. Hear their unique perspectives about the importance of teaching—a process where through sharing knowledge, they also gain knowledge and develop community. Featured artists include:

—Alisa Burke

—Julie Haymaker Thompson

—Lisa Kaus

—Mary Beth Shaw

—Maya Donenfeld

—Roxanne Padgett

—Sarah Ahearn Bellemare

—Stephanie Jones Rubiano

—Tracie Lyn Huskamp

—Heather Smith Jones

—Carla Sonheim

—Mati Rose McDonough

—Alma Stoller

—Flora Bowley

Peppered throughout the book are snapshots that give us a glimpse of some of the most amazing art retreats from across the nation. They are:

—Squam Art Workshops

—The Makerie

—Artfest

—An Artful Journey

—Artistic Bliss

—Valley Ridge Art Studio

—Art & Soul

—Silver Bella

You'll get a special behind-the-scenes look at these special gatherings from the unique points of view of the coordinators, students, and instructors alike.

Take a leap of faith into your quest to learn, teach, grow, and create with Creative Pilgrimage!

Jenny Doh is founder and president of CRESCENDOh, LLC—an online media center that features fresh and creative content from artists within all genres, coupled with their uniquely heartfelt stories that highlight the power of art in our lives. Previously, she worked for six years as editor-in-chief and director of publishing for Somerset Studio, Belle Armoire, and its many sister publications.

Prior to publishing, Jenny worked for seven years as a social worker in child protective services, where she witnessed some of the most radical life stories imaginable. CRESCENDOh’s mission leverages the lessons that Jenny has learned within the arenas of social work and art.

She lives with her husband and their two children, Monica and Andrew, in Santa Ana, California. She loves to knit, stay fit, and volunteer for her alma mater, UC Irvine. To learn more, visit www.crescendoh.com.

The Art of Vintage Journaling and Collage is a distinctive guidebook exploring the art of collage and journaling using unique, collected ephemera from antique stores, flea markets, secondhand shops, and even your own home to unlock your creativity. Capture your thoughts in handmade, illustrated travel journals, recipe keepsake books, and nature and garden sketchbooks and create stunning collages to frame or use as note cards and gift tags to share with family and friends. The Art of Vintage Journaling and Collage presents Maryjo and Sunny Koch's gorgeous work from their books, Vintage Collage-Works and Vintage Collage Journals. There are more than 75 different collage project ideas and over 14 complete journal projects. Basic techniques and project details are illustrated through step-by-step photos and a gallery is included at the back of the book containing ready-to-use vintage clip art. All levels of artist or hobbyist will find this an inspirational and invaluable book.

Maryjo Koch is a popular and highly regarded naturalist painter and collage artist who has authored and illustrated over a dozen books including the best-selling Bird Egg Feather Nest. She began teaching nature painting at both the California Academy of Sciences and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and now conducts painting and collage workshops at her studio near Santa Cruz, California. Her work has been exhibited in natural history museums nationwide, and her paintings and prints are sold in galleries and specialty shops throughout the United States and Japan. Maryjo's artwork has been featured on fine housewares products and on gifts and stationary by retailers such as Chronicle Books, Marcel Schurman Fine Papers, Smith & Hawken, and The Republic of Tea, and The Nature Company.

Sunny Koch has shown her work in Santa Cruz Open Studio, offers collage classes a few times a year, and illustrates for magazine articles, annual reports, advertising, and event invitations. Sunny was awarded for an editorial illustration entitled Discovering My Roots, by both American Illustration 21 and Blue Cube Arts. She has been featured in Somerset Studio magazine.